Principle Questions — General Rules Applied

Two varieties:

Identify the principle: Given a specific situation, which general rule explains the reasoning?

Apply the principle: Given a general rule, which specific situation follows the same principle?

Strategy for Identify:

1. Understand the specific argument

2. Abstract it: what general rule makes this reasoning valid?

3. Match to answer choices

Strategy for Apply:

1. Understand the general principle

2. Check each answer: does the specific case follow the general rule?

3. The correct answer perfectly matches the principle's logic

Trap: An answer that matches the topic but not the logical structure. A principle about fairness applied to a fairness scenario doesn't mean the logic matches.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Logical Reasoning

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_reasoning